The present invention relates generally to a conveyor belt used to move items that includes a v-belt to prevent lateral movement of the conveyor belt.
Conveyor belts are used in various settings, such as retail stores to move merchandise, air ports to move luggage, and factories to move parts from one location to another. Conveyor belts have also been employed in grills to cook food. The food is manually placed on the conveyor belt by an operator. As the conveyor belt travels over a heater positioned under the conveyor belt, the food is cooked.
As a conveyor belt moves, the conveyor belt may move laterally and slide off of the pulleys. Devices have been used in the prior art to adjust the tension of the conveyor belt to provide for proper tension. Adjustment mechanisms have been used to prevent lateral movement of the conveyor belts. A drawback to prior adjustment mechanisms is that they are complex. A sensor is needed to detect when the conveyor belt is moving laterally from the pulleys. The adjustment mechanism then moves the conveyor belt to the proper position.
Hence, there is a need in the art for a conveyor belt that does not move laterally and slide off the pulleys and does not need a complex adjustment mechanism.